ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Ultrasensitive bioelectronic devices based on conducting polymers for electrophysiology studies

Sanaz Asgarifar, Pedro M. C. Inácio, Ana L. G. Mestre, and Henrique Leonel Gomes

Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal

E-mail: hgomes@ualg.pt

Abstract: Conducting polymer electrodes based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene doped with poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) are evaluated as transducers to record extracellular signals in cell populations. The performance of the polymer electrode is compared with a gold electrode. A small-signal impedance analysis shows that in the presence of an electrolyte, the polymer electrode establishes for frequencies below 100 Hz a higher capacitive electrical double layer at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Furthermore, the polymer/electrolyte interfacial resistance is several orders of magnitude lower than the resistance of the gold/electrolyte interface. The polymer low interfacial resistance minimizes the intrinsic thermal noise and increases the system sensitivity. The ultra-sensitivity of the polymer-based transducer system was demonstrated by recording the electrical activity of cancer cells of the nervous system.

Keywords: Organic bioelectronics ; Polymer electrodes ; Extracellular signals ; PEDOT:PSS 

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-018-0481-z

Chemical Papers 72 (7) 1597–1603 (2018)